Augustine of Hippo
Augustine of Hippo, St (354-430 AD). North African theologian and philosopher. Born in Tagaste, he studied in Carthage and subsequently taught rhetoric in Rome and Milan. Although his mother was a Christian, he became a Manichaean in his youth and was also influenced by Neoplatonism. He converted to Christianity in 386 and returned to Africa, where he lived as .a monk. After being ordained he was made Bishop of Hippo in 396. His writings include The City of God, a monumental defence of Christian belief, and the Confessions, a spiritual autobiography, as well as numerous letters, sermons, and treatises. He is considered the most important of the early Christian thinkers.
